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Schedule |
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Tuesdays
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM ET
E15-359
Thursdays
10:30 PM - 12:00 PM ET
E15-341
{: .lecture } Tues, Feb 4 | Lecture: Explore the details of the course, dive deeper into MIT Center for Constructive Communication's key projects, and discuss the macro factors—economic, social, technological—that contribute to social fragmentation.
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- No readings this week
{: .lab} Thurs, Feb 6 | Lab: Public Narrative
- Start Public Narrative
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- Iterate on your story of self draft
{: .lecture } Tues, Feb 11 | Lecture: Examine the roots of societal issues, such as weakened institutions, declining trust in media, and toxic social media. Discuss the role of civic associations and the importance of local politics in fostering democracy.
{: .note }
- Roy, D. (2023, October 17). The Internet could be so good. Really. The Atlantic [link]
- Bohm, D. (1996). On dialogue. New York: Routledge, pp. 1-5
- Herzig, M. and Chasin, L. (2006). Fostering dialogue across divides
- Bowling Alone Chapter 1: Thinking about Social Change in America
{: .lab } Thurs, Feb 13 | Lab: Public Narrative [Forming Teams]
- Sign up for a facilitated dialogue hosted by a CCC member with your classmates.
- Participate in our class Pol.is prompt
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- Sign up for a facilitated dialogue hosted by [CCC member] with your classmates
- Iterate on your story of self draft / Hold and reflect on ~5 1:1s within the class
- Participate in our class Pol.is prompt
{: .note-red } Tues, Feb 18: No Class - Presidents Day. Lecture will be held on Thurs, Feb 20.
{: .lecture } Thurs, Feb 20 | Lecture: Delve into the impact of traditional and social media on public discourse. Discuss the transformation of public spaces and the need for improved communication platforms.
{: .note }
- Tufekci, Zeynep. "Preface" in Twitter and Tear Gas (2017)
- Excerpt from Breaking the Social Prism (Chris Bail)
- van Dijck, J., & Poell, T. (2015). Social media and the transformation of public space
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Tues, Feb 25 | Lecture: Learn the art of relationship building through one-on-one interactions. Discuss the emotional and narrative aspects of relationships in organizing teams.
Guest Lecture Marshall Ganz, Harvard Kennedy School
{: .note }
- Simmons, Ian. “On One-to-Ones,” in The Next Steps of Organizing: Putting Theory into Action, Sociology 91r Seminar, (1998), (pp. 12-15) (1998).
- Nussbaum, Martha. “Chapter 1: Emotions and Judgments of Value”, in Upheavals of Thought: The Intelligence of Emotions, (2001), (pp. 19-33).
- Bruner, Jerome. “The Narrative Creation of Self” in Making Stories: Law, Literature, Life,(2002), (pp.63-76).
- Bruner, Jerome. “Chapter 2: Two Modes of Thought”, in Actual Minds, Possible Worlds (1986), (pp.11–25).
- “Small is Beautiful” EF Schumacher excerpt
{: .lab } Thurs, Feb 27 | Lab: Relationships and 1:1s [Forming Teams]
- Practice 1:1 conversations
- Team formation activities
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- Hold and reflect on ~5 1:1s within the class, form your team
{: .lecture } Tues, Mar 4 | Lecture: Structure & Organization {: .note }
- Danielle Allen Justice by Means of Democracy excerpt
- Han, Hahrie. “Introduction”, in How Organizations Develop Activists, (2014), (pp. 1-28).
- Mutz D. C. (2006). Benefits of hearing the other side. In Hearing the other side: deliberative versus participatory democracy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 57-87.
- The Tyranny of Structurelessness by Jo Freeman
- Hackman, Richard. “Designing Work for Individuals and for Groups”, adapted from J.R. Hackman, Work Design in J.R. Hackman & J.L. Suttle (Eds.) Improving Life at work: Behavioral science approaches to organizational change. Santa Monica: Goodyear Publishing Company, (1977). (pp. 242-255).
{: .lab } Thurs, Mar 6 | Lab: Team Launch
- Establishing team dynamics
- Setting expectations
- Role definition
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- Finish launching your team, submit your team-launch packet
- As a team, hold 10 1:1s with people you believe to be in your constituency. Document them with structured notes, be ready to bring the findings next week.
{: .lecture } Tues, Mar 12 | Lecture: Develop strategies, tactics, and timelines for your conversation campaign. Explore methods for engaging constituencies and identifying leaders to support your initiatives.
{: .lab } Thurs, Mar 14 | Lab: Designing your Conversation Campaign - Strategy, Tactics, Timeline
- Designing your conversation campaign
- Planning implementation
- Roles
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- Finish launching your campaign, submit your campaign launch packet.
- Share your campaign idea to members of your constituency. Identify 1-2 potential leaders, and see if they can help with your kickoff
- Optional: If your team wants to use Pol.is, attend office hours or set up a time with guest TA
{: .lecture } Tues, Mar 18 | Lecture: Learn how to design and facilitate meaningful conversations. Understand the differences between focus groups, public opinion polls, and public thought. Discuss strategies for gathering input that prioritizes dialogue, listening, and shared understanding.
{: .note }
- Cramer (2009). Scholars as Citizens: Studying Public Opinion through Ethnography
- Cramer (2007). Scrutinizing and Listening to Stories
- Cramer (2022). "Chapter 4: The qualitative study of public opinion"
- Mutz D. C. (2006). Benefits of hearing the other side
- Stains, Jr., R. (2014). Repairing the breach: The power of dialogue
{: .lab } Thurs, Mar 20 | Lab: Dialogue Design
- Designing dialogue processes
- Recruitment strategies
- Facilitation practice
{: .highlight }
- Finish your dialogue script, conversation facilitation timeline, and recruitment plan
- Submit packet
{: .note-red } Spring Break: March 24 - March 31
{: .lecture } Tues, Apr 1 | Lecture: Explore the intersection of analytics and sensemaking. Learn sensemaking best practices and explore how to integrate AI into the sensemaking process.
{: .note }
- Forthcoming
{: .lab } Thurs, Apr 3 | Lab: Kickoffs and Building Leadership Capacity
- Plan your kickoffs
- Build leadership capacity
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- Hold your kickoffs! (first round of conversations at a public event)
- Recruit 1 new facilitator or leader to help with kickoff responsibilities
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Tues, Apr 8 | Lecture:
Understand the principles of effective storytelling to engage diverse audiences. Learn how to reflect, bridge, and influence through trust, emotion, and evidence-based narratives.
{: .note }
- Few, S. (2013). Data Visualization for Human Perception
- Tufte, E. R. The Visual Display of Quantitative Information (selected chapters)
- Additional readings on data storytelling
{: .lab } Thurs, Apr 10 | Lab: Sensemaking Practice
- Working with conversation data
- Pattern identification
- Theme development
- Creating visual summaries
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- Finish codebook development
- Finish highlighting and coding your conversations
{: .lecture } Tues, Apr 15 | Lecture: Discuss the potential and pitfalls of AI in democratic processes. Examine how AI and human agency can complement each other in fostering trust and participation.
{: .note }
- AI and Democracy readings (selected)
{: .lab } Thurs, Apr 17 | Lab: Sharing Workshop
- Develop a plan for sharing these voices, work on that plan
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{: .lecture } Tues, Apr 22 | Lecture: Explore case studies of tech-enhanced civic dialogue, including projects from CCC, Cortico, and other initiatives. Learn strategies for overcoming challenges in civic engagement.
{: .note }
- Chwalisz, C. A Movement That’s Quietly Reshaping Democracy For The Better.
- Lafont, C. (2019). Democracy without Shortcuts: A Participatory Conception of Deliberative Democracy, Oxford (Introduction).
- Lippmann, W. (1919, November). The basic problem of democracy. The Atlantic [link]
{: .lab } Thurs, Apr 24 | Lab: Coaching through Challenges/Presentations
{: .highlight }
- Continue working on your final projects
{: .lecture } Tues, Apr 29 | Lecture: Analyze vTaiwan as a leading example of tech-enhanced deliberation. Discuss its applications for creating scalable and inclusive democratic processes.
Guest Lecture
{: .note }
- Claudia Chwalisz’s note on the need for AI-powered tech in the next democratic paradigm.
- Excerpt from Plurality: The Future of Collaborative Technology and Democracy
{: .lab } Thurs, May 1 | Lab: Coaching through Challenges/Presentations
{: .highlight }
- Continue working on your final projects
{: .lecture } Tues, May 7 | Lecture: Investigate the role of technology in conflict mediation. Learn how tech-enabled tools can facilitate dialogue and resolve disputes in polarized contexts.
Guest Lecture
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- to be determined
{: .lab } Thurs, May 9 | Lab: Coaching through Challenges/Presentations
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- Complete and present final projects
- Submit all documentation
{: .lecture } Tues, May 13 | Lecture: Celebrations and Group Reflections